Father
by Mononoke-hime x sukai kurora
Summary: It is spring with the cherry blossoms in bloom, and a lonely dark-haired girl is thinking of her father.


_Father_

Uchiha Sarada had never known her father. The only memory that she could have had of him was too faint to remember, for she had only been a newborn infant at that time. Her father had left the village the day she was born. The truth continued to burn a hole in her heart even though she was only a child. _Twelve years…_ she thought morosely her dark eyes followed the _sakura_ petals as they floated onto the ground. The flower that her mother had been named after reminded her of the warm woman that waited for her at home. _Kaachan…why do wait for him? Doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it…_

The bespectacled child hoped that no one in village noticed the silver tears streaming down her cheeks. Although she was aware of the fond glances aimed at her whenever she walked to the Academy, Sarada did not want pity or any questions. She wanted answers. The dark-haired girl wanted to know why her father had left. A cold fear had enveloped her when she thought that perhaps her father had left the village because he hated her, or was disgusted by her existence. Her fear had been so strong that she had asked her mother. Sarada had not forgotten of how her mother's eyes had widened and her lips turned white. Although she had soothed Sarada of her fears and that her father did not abandon her, Sarada heard her whispering her father's name and sobs when she thought her daughter was asleep.

 _Why?_ Sarada thought as she took a turn that led to her house. _Why did you leave us?_ Uchiha Sasuke was a foreign name on her lips. During her twelve years, Sarada had only referred to him as _Tōchan_ despite his absence in her life. Despite never being around him at all, Sarada loved her father. She only wished that he was here. She had asked many times why her father was not in the village. Her mother would only look away sadly and not reply. Sometimes when the _Nanadaime_ Hokage visited to talk with her mother, speaking in hushed whispers and soothing words, Sarada asked him as well. His eyes would darken in sadness as he looked at her, staring at her desperate face. Then he would ruffle her hair gently and tell her that it was not the time to speak to her about it. There was even a time when she asked the enigmatic _Godaime_ Kazekage if he had seen her father in his village during the last Gokage Summit.

The redhead had simply looked at her, his expression unreadable as he stared at the then eight year old before her. Then suddenly he gave her a small smile and told her quietly that she reminded him of her father in his youth before he walked away. For a brief moment, the child had been happy. She had been compared to her father. _"You are like him…with the same determination in his eyes when he was young."_ Her father wasn't often mentioned by anyone. Even her mother's teammates refused to say a word when she asked them about it, not even when she was a very small child. The only knowledge of her father came from her mother, who told her about how strong her father was and of how handsome he was when he smiled. Of how he loved both her and her mother very much.

Now as the home that she had lived in for her entire life came closer, Sarada again took note of her surroundings. Her mother always said that her courtship with her father began during the _Haru no Matsuri_ , a festival dedicated to the celebration of the _sakura_ blossoms appearing for the first time, signaling the birth of spring. Her father had been wearing a black cloak, her mother often said, his hair long enough to hide his eyes. _"Even so, he was still my Sasuke-_ kun _,"_ her mother often said with a wistful smile on her face. Although her father had stayed in the village for a year before he left for his mysterious journey, her parents had not necessarily spent much time together. A month had passed, but both her mother and father were deeply in love. They were married in the summer, with her father wearing a traditional Uchiha garb with a kimono and her mother wearing a plain white kimono with flowers in her hair. Apparently both of them were very happy that day. Then Sarada was born, where her father held her in his arms and he cried.

Sarada wondered now if the stories _Kaachan_ told her were true. Were they simply fiction, a dream that her mother created for both herself and her daughter? What husband would leave his wife and child for twelve long years? Not even the _Nanadaime_ Hokage, with his chaotic life, could successfully complete such an action. She supposed that it was within her right to criticize Boruto, the young son of the current Hokage. His father was home. Even if he barely saw the man, the boy could still know that he was there. Even so, Sarada knew that her estranged friend was similar to her. Similar, and yet vastly different. It had hurt more than the sharpest kunai when Sarada realized that she was the only one among her peers that was missing a father during the Academy Entrance Ceremony.

That was, until she noted a small light-blue haired young boy wearing a loose kimono with no one behind him. His golden eyes lacked of the distress that Sarada thought would envelop them though. She had found out later that his name was Mitsuki, and that he came from another village. Despite of wanting to bond with him, Mitsuki seemed to content to keep a distance from his classmates. Occasionally, he talked to Boruto, but for the most part he was like a shadow covered by the moon. Sarada doubted that Aburame- _sensei_ remembered his name. She wondered if Mitsuki was an orphan, and if he knew of the emptiness of being alone despite of having people around him.

Sarada wondered why her mother and father had even married. Was it to create life into the Uchiha clan, a clan that the young girl hailed from? Sarada didn't know very much, but she heard from multiple sources that her father had been the last of his clan. Had her father married her mother out of duty, and not of love? Did her father truly love her, or was she… Sarada had lied to her mother when she told her that she would be training for the day one winter morning. Strangely enough, Sarada didn't feel guilty even though the lie had been the first time she had lied to her mother. The dark-haired girl had entered various hospitals, asking for records about her birth. There were none, even in the hospital specializing in childbirth and babies, which had been built just before Sarada had been born.

 _Was I even born here?_ Sarada thought as she looked up at the light blue sky. The sun shined against her glasses. _Why do I have glasses? According to the books I've read, the Uchiha clan were experts of visual prowess, so I shouldn't have glasses._ Sarada stopped, her feet scuffing against the pavement at the sudden thought that entered her mind. _Unless…Tōchan had glasses too. There aren't any pictures of him when he was a child, so I have no idea. I didn't wear glasses either until I was six._

The dark-haired girl wondered what her mother would think of such questions. The beautiful woman wouldn't like to hear them, but Sarada was desperate. _Anything about him…anything so that he feels closer to my heart._ Her hands softly opened the gate the led to her house. The daffodils were starting to grow in the garden beside the tomatoes, and Sarada leaned her hand forward to catch a _sakura_ blossom. Her mother always said that the girl shared her father's love for tomatoes, but now Sarada wondered how much of what her mother said was true. As she heard her mother's soft call when she opened the door, Sarada thought to herself, _Not yet. Kaachan has been tired lately…and I don't want to hurt her._ As she allowed herself to be embraced by her mother, Sarada leaned her head against her mother's shoulders as she whispered a silent plea.

 _Kaette kudasai, Otōsan._


End file.
